Silo for the storage of grain and the like



Jan. 14, 1941. .1. RAGNI 2,228,609

SILO FOR THE STORAGE OF GRAIN AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 10, 1959 Jose Rayni,

Patented Jan. 14, 1941 SILO FOR THE STORAGE OF GRAIN AND 5 THE LIKE J os Ragn'i, Buenos Aires, Argentina Application February 10, 1939, Serial No. 255,753

In Argentina February 25, 1938 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved construction of silo or store for the storage of grain or similar granular or pulverulent materials in general and substantially has for object an improved silo or store which owing to its particularfeatures of construction and arrangement, offers considerable advantages over the structures or systems heretofore proposed and used for said purposes.

A substantial feature of the improved construction of silo or store forming the object of this invention consists in that the same comprises two or more container units, each formed by two hollow body parts of a particular rounded or polyhedral shape, with their outer walls joined at their bases, being provided with means for loading or filling the material to be stored into said container units and for discharging the same, as well as with means for supporting the containers at a suitable height from the ground.

Generally speaking, the said hollow body parts may conveniently be constructed of conical, or pyramidal shape, either truncated or not.

By means of this particular arrangement it will be possible to obtain, for a silo or store of a certain capacity, a much larger area for aerating purposes than that which is provided in silos or storage structure, of cylindrical or spherical shape.

At the same time, the construction in accordance with this invention allows of using for a silo of any desired capacity, a structure of much less height than that required by the known cylindrical silos, which, besides the advantage of providing a larger area for aeration purposes, assures an efficient ventilation of the material or goods stored in the container, owing to the increased space exposed to air, while the reduced height of the lower or bottom layers of the goods,

Figure 2 illustrates an elevation of another embodiment of a unit of the improved silo.

Figure 3 represents a plan view showing the manner of arranging a series or set of container units according to Figure 1, so as to form a multiple or combined silo, and

Figure 4, finally, indicates the manner of combining the elements when shaped as shown in Figure 2.

In all the said views, the same numbers of reference have been used to indicate like or corresponding parts.

The novel type of silo in accordance with this for instance, the parts I and 2 of the container form each a hollow right circular cone, the walls of said cones being connected together at their common base 3, with the axes of both cones extending in a vertical direction.

According to the modifiedconstruction shown in Figure 2, the said hollow body parts I and 2 have been arranged .on a horizontal axis, with their bases 3 placed and joined along a vertical plane.

The container units just described will preferably be arranged at a certain level above the ground, in order to facilitate their discharge and to that end they will be provided with a suitable supporting frame, such as the structure 5, conveniently formed of metal and provided with reinforcing means for securing the necessary rigidity. The upper and lower parts or halves of said container units will respectively be provided at their apices with a port 6 for loading or filling the same, and with an outlet port 1, provided with a slide or similar controlling device, for the discharge of the materials into a carrier vehicle.

For the construction of the body parts I and 2, suitable sheet metal, either plain or corrugated, may be used and adequate reinforcing means for counteracting the pressure of the goods contained in said units may be applied thereto.

In order to provide a storage structure or silo of large capacity, the container units may conveniently be arranged in series or sets, sufficient in number to supply the capacity required, after the manner illustrated by way of example in Figures 3 and 4; in the former, the set includes four container units of the type shown in Fig. 1,

device 8, from which extend the pipes 9 for the separate or conjoint feeding of said units.

From the foregoing description", the mannerfof operating of the device will be readily under- .15l stood by those skilled in the art, so that a detailed explanation .of the same has been' deemed unnecessary.

Although in the foregoing specifiation the several container units are described as being supported at a certain level above the ground, it will be evident that, without departing from this invention,v the lowerpart ofthe containers might be placed I at a level with the ground, or even below thecsame, and the upper part of the container might serve as a" cover :or'hood therefor,

as has been explained before.-

It willfurther be' evident that several modifications of construction and detail might beintroduced without departing from .the scope'of Q-"this-invention, as particularly set forth in the claims :hereto annexed.

Having now clearly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention andin what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a silo, a pair of shallow shell members formed as nappes of right circular cones of the same diameter and having a relatively large apex angle and being mounted with their bases coincident, and means for mounting said shell members with their axes coincident and vertical, said shell members being respectively provided at their apices with an inlet port and an outlet port.

2. In a'silo; a pair of shallow shell members formed as nappes of right circular cones of the same diameter and having a relatively large apex angle and being mounted with their bases coincident; and means for mounting said shell members with:their axes coincident, the assembly of saidvshell members being provided at the uppermost' and lowermost points thereof respectively with an inlet port and an outlet port.

3. In arsilo, a pair'of shallow shellmembers formed as nappes of right circular cones of'the g l l same diameter and having a relatively large apex 

